


it's you and me

by smartbuckley



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Apologies, Blow Jobs, Dating, Established Relationship, Hand Jobs, Jealous Eddie Diaz, M/M, Making Out, Meddling Team, Misunderstandings, POV Alternating, POV Eddie Diaz, POV Evan "Buck" Buckley, Reassuring Evan "Buck" Buckley, Secret Admirer, Secret Relationship, Team as Family, Unintentionally Cruel Team, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, happy relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:26:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22658527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smartbuckley/pseuds/smartbuckley
Summary: When Buck ends up with a secret admirer the week of Valentines Day, how does it affect his secret relationship with Eddie? All canon events taken place, takes place during an unknown timeframe during season three. Written for thebuddietines weekprompts. One chapter posted for every prompt - seven chapters total.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 61
Kudos: 520





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt: Secret admirer.

When he wakes up that morning, comforter low enough on his body that most of his back is cold, Buck finds himself not wanting to move one inch to get ready for work. He knows he’ll have to, but the heavy weight of his boyfriend’s arm across his back is too nice, and all Buck wants to do is burrow into the heat radiating off Eddie’s body. They’ve been dating for six months now, with none of their coworkers and friends knowing - not because they wanted to hide, but because they just wanted to have something for themselves first, and the time they’ve spent together this past week was something that Buck would call  _ not enough _ . Between their hours at work being different due to someone on another shift being on vacation, to being busy during the moments they  _ do _ share, Buck wants to languish in the bed and let the morning wake them up slowly. He doesn’t want to have to deal with getting ready for work, even if the shift today is one he shares with Eddie for the first time in a week and a half.

“You’re thinking too loudly,” he hears and Buck doesn’t stop the small laugh from escaping from him, giving into his urges and burrowing into his boyfriend’s arms as they come up to wrap around him, a small moan escaping when Eddie brings the comforter up with him. If there’s one thing that’s been confirmed the past six months of their new relationship, it’s that Eddie truly knows Buck better than anyone else.

“You can’t think too loudly, babe. Not when it’s in your head,” Buck eventually responds back, moving to kiss Eddie’s spine before smiling, continuing to kiss up his boyfriend’s spine before moving to rest on his back and kiss Eddie’s lips, grinning a little. The two get lost in one another, continuing to kiss for an amount of time that Buck doesn’t care to count before eventually, they pull away from one another, panting.

“We need to get ready for work,” Eddie ends up whispering and Buck can’t help but pout in response, shifting a little because he knows it’s true, but he truly doesn’t want to get out of the bed, and no longer be comfortable. He can feel Eddie smiling against his skin, can feel his boyfriend moving out of the bed and around the room, the warmth of the bed following him as Buck groans and shifts himself, watching Eddie with lidded eyes.

“Keep looking at me like that and we’re going to be late,” Eddie sing-songs and Buck lets out another groan, hands moving of their own violation to Eddie’s hips, bringing him in closer as he kisses his boyfriend with a grin.

“I know. But it’s so comfortable here.” Buck whispers after pulling away and Eddie lets out his own laugh before moving away himself, his hand pulling Buck up with him as Buck lets out a small huff of breath, shifting in the bed so that he’s sitting up against the headboard.

“Chris is eating breakfast?” Buck asks, yawning while Eddie nods, grabbing the shower towel with a grin, turning towards Buck. They had told Chris about their relationship two months in, though the brilliant kid had known about it much sooner and had waited for them to tell him. And while they too often didn’t do anything when Chris was home and Buck was visiting, a boundary Buck himself had set with Eddie’s happiness, last night had happened and Buck had wanted to make sure Chris was following his routine, even if Eddie and he weren’t. 

“We have enough time to share a shower, if you get out of the bed right now,” Eddie adds, his voice teasing while Buck looks up at him with his own grin, previous thoughts disappearing. 

“How much time?”

“About fifteen minutes before Chris comes wondering where we are,” Eddie adds, leaning forward to kiss Buck and Buck -- Buck can’t say no to that, standing up quickly and dragging Eddie to the en suite, grinning as the shower is set to how they both like it before they both get lost in one another one more time.

* * *

By the time they’re both out of the shower, dressed and in the kitchen grabbing a quick breakfast and packing Chris’ school bag up, they’re only a couple of minutes later than normal, and not feeling as rushed as they should be since their shift starts in thirty minutes and Chris needs to be at the school in ten. 

“Chris, did you remember your project from the weekend?” Eddie asks while Buck makes Chris a quick lunch while eating his own breakfast quickly, noticing Chris nod as he begins to stand up from the table and grab his bag, Buck finishing the lunch quickly and packing it away before kissing the top of Chris’ head.

“Will -- will you be picking me up today, Bucky?” Chris asks and Buck feels his heart soar for the love he feels for Eddie’s kid, how much he considers the two of them his own, a small smile gracing his features.

“Not today, unfortunately. Your Dad and I have to work a long shift. Tomorrow though, alright bud?” Buck ends up responding after a couple of minutes, kissing the top of Chris’ head once more before the two of them meet up with Eddie at the front door. With Eddie locking the home, Buck helps Chris to the car and gets him settled in, ruffling his hair before sighing softly as he heads towards his own car, Eddie leaning against it with his own small smile.

“I’ll meet you at work, yeah?” Buck says after making his way to Eddie, kissing him briefly before his boyfriend steps away from the door of his car. He hears Eddie respond in the affirmative, a small grin forming on Buck’s face as he enters his jeep and starts the car, wiggling his eyebrows playfully at Eddie as he walks to his own truck, unable to stop himself due to the grin on his boyfriend’s face. Watching Eddie drive away, Buck smiles softly for a few minutes before pulling out of the driveway and heading to work himself, too distracted by his thoughts to really hear the music playing as he drives.

* * *

When Buck finally manages to pull into the parking lot behind the firestation and stop his car, a small breath of relief is released, his entire body slumping as he relaxes at the sight of the building he lives his life in, where he thought he had it all before he realized he also had Chris and Eddie.

Without a second thought on how much he had grown, on how much he had learned from his previous mistakes in the past year, Buck made his way to the inside of the station and then the locker area, smiling at the few co-workers who were lounging around downstairs before they eventually decided to go upstairs with the rest of the team. Receiving smiles back had Buck feeling like he was walking on a cloud, thankful that most of his co-workers had forgiven him for his lapse in judgement earlier in the year when he had gone through with the lawsuit. Despite that though, Buck still found himself pausing in surprise, eyes widening, when he saw Bobby, Chim and Hen all standing around his locker with arched eyebrows and laughter in their faces. Which, admittedly, Buck found confusing until they noticed him and cleared the area around his locker, causing Buck’s mouth to drop open in surprise. His locker looked like it had barfed up everything pink, red and valentines day related, completely covered in tacky looking hearts, flower petals, valentine cards and decorations and who knew what else.

“Uh,” Buck can’t help but say, eyes still wide as he looks around the room for Eddie, even though he’s  _ positive _ he didn’t see the man’s truck in the parking lot before he had come in. 

“What the hell?” Buck ends up asking with wide eyes as he looks at the rest of the team, unable to stop himself from noticing that Chim is laughing hard while Hen is shaking her head in disbelief.

“We found it like this when we came here,” Chim ends up saying softly while Buck can only find himself frowning, taking his phone out and shooting a quick text to Eddie to at the very least  _ see _ if it was his boyfriend’s doing somehow, though a large part of him doubted it.

“Was there a note, or something?” Buck asks, feeling uncomfortable at all of the attention that’s on him in the moment, though it doesn’t last too long when he sees Eddie come in and his entire body relaxes immediately, though he definitely does not appreciate it when his boyfriend snorts when he sees Buck’s locker.

“Who threw up Valentines day on you?” Eddie asks and Buck turns towards him, about to arch his eyebrow at Eddie in a question before he sees the flash of jealousy in his eyes and he knows this was  _ definitely _ not Eddie’s doing.

“I have no idea.” Buck responds softly after a few moments, moving slightly so his arm nudges Eddie’s, “And I do not like it,” he adds with a scoff, ignoring the small smug smile that forms on Eddie’s face at those words, or how they make Buck feel when he takes a look at Eddie more thoroughly. 

“Whoever it was, Buck, sure as hell likes you,” Chim snorts and at that point, Hen lets out a loud laugh while Buck finds himself scowling, moving forward to begin clearing off his locker, looking for a note while he does so. Before long, his locker is cleared of everything valentines related, and he quickly throws the decorations out before opening his locker with a huff, not surprised to find Eddie leaning against the opposite locker with a smile waiting for him.

“Chris didn’t want to go to school today, you know,” he ends up saying after a few moments as Buck begins going through his things, making sure everything is where it should be.

“That surprises you?” Buck laughs, moving forward a little as his hand is placed on the top of his pants, Eddie’s eyes following the movement just like Buck wanted, a smirk forming on his face at the sight.

“You are going to kill me if you flirt this blatantly with me this early on in our shift, man,” Eddie responds with a small chuckle while Buck snorts, shrugging his shoulders briefly before grabbing his work shirt and changing into it, briefly noticing something flutter to the ground as he does so.

“Can ya --” Buck begins, grinning when Eddie is already bent over and grabbing the paper, hands fiddling with it as he opens it and reads it, eyebrow arching while Buck changes his top and then looks on in confusion. 

“Looks like you’ve got a secret admirer, babe,” Eddie whispers, handing Buck the small paper which Buck reads almost instantly, wrinkling his nose as he does so. “Well, I wish there was a way to tell them to back off, I’m gladly taken,” Buck responds, arching his eyebrow in response while Eddie hums softly.

“Well, I’m sure we’ll figure out what to do. After all, Valentines isn’t until the end of the week, so you have that long, at least, to come up with a plan on letting people know you’re off the market,” Eddie snorts, moving forward quickly to kiss Buck, pulling away when he knows Buck would begin to enjoy it a little too much - causing Buck to whine at the back of his throat and then pout.

“I’ll see you upstairs, babe,” Eddie whispers with a wink before he steps away from Buck, and makes his way out of the locker room, all while Buck lets out another groan and then finishes getting ready for the long shift he has.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt: _“That might just be the least romantic thing you’ve ever said to me”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Buck can’t help but find that the shift goes by slowly, no matter how many calls the team receives, he finds himself feeling stuck over the idea that there’s someone he works with, someone out there that he  _ knows _ who is attracted to him -- and that said person isn’t Eddie. Hell, he finds himself surprised that there’s someone out there that he and Eddie  _ both _ work with that doesn’t realize just how gone Buck is over Eddie. If there was one thing that Buck knew, it was that almost the entire firehouse had an ongoing bet over when the two of them would get their acts together and admit their feelings for one another.

Of course, no one in the firehouse knew it had happened a long while ago, before the pool had even started, hilariously enough. But that wasn’t something Buck was focusing on in the moment, instead, trying to figure out who could possibly be interested in him and think they had a chance - as cold as that sounded. All throughout his shift, Buck was trying to figure out who it could have been - was trying to learn who had feelings for him to dress his locker up, and was doing so by watching everyone carefully.

Of course, he had no idea, mid-way through his shift, who could possibly be attracted to him well enough to dress his locker up, and he could tell that him constantly trying to search out the person was bugging the only other person who actually mattered to him so eventually, Buck stopped, but the thought was on his mind all day, to the point that by the time the team was  _ finally _ sitting down for dinner, Buck knew Eddie was more than annoyed, and he had to make it up to him quite a bit later on.

“So Buckaroo, any luck on finding out who ended up decorating your locker?” Hen asks with a laugh and Buck can’t help but look towards Eddie, seeing his boyfriend tense up as everyone else awaited Buck’s answer. Almost immediately, Buck’s own body tenses and he has to force himself to relax, grabbing the glass of water in front of him and sipping it carefully.

“No, not really. And I don’t really care to find out, either,” Buck responds, biting the inside of his cheek as he hears Eddie snort next to him.

“Now that is a blatant lie. You’ve been distracted all day,” Hen chuckles and Buck -- Buck lets out a small groan, cheeks turning red while Eddie puts down his own set of utensils loudly, the room turning to look at him, surprised to see him taking deep breaths. 

“Yes, alright, I want to know who likes me. So I can turn them down gently,” Buck ends up responding in order to stop Eddie from saying something he’ll regret, or walking away angry, something that they both know is what needs to be worked on on Eddie’s end. Without thought, Buck ends up placing his hand on Eddie’s thigh under the table and squeezing, praying that Eddie knows how sincere his words are. 

He worries that maybe he’s pushed Eddie too far but after a few minutes, he feels Eddie squeeze his hand and relax a little and almost immediately, Buck feels himself relaxing himself, no longer worried that he’s messed things up with his boyfriend -- something he worries about a lot, admittedly, and something he knows he has to work on for himself.

“Why would you turn down someone who is so obviously into you, Buck?” Chim asks with an arch of one of his eyebrows, and Buck looks towards him and tries not to let out a chuckle before Chim continues, “You need to get back on the wagon, man. Not that, uh, someone is a wagon, but --” Chim stops there, the entire team and then some looking at him as he stutters and stumbles over his words before Buck lets out his own snort and everyone else begins to laugh.

“I  _ am _ on the wagon already, Chim.” He ends up saying when the laughter dies down, shifting when everyone turns to look at him, Eddie squeezing his hand comfortingly under the table.

“What - what - you mean --”

“I’ve been dating someone for six months, man.” Buck chuckles with a shake of his head before finishing the food on his plate and standing away from the table. “And before you ask,  _ no _ , I’m not telling you anything else. It’s private.” He responds, a small smirk forming on his face as he makes his way to the lower floor gym, needing a way to push out the extra energy he feels running through him. 

He doesn’t know how long it is before Eddie is joining him, spotting him while he does bench presses, cocking his hip to the side with a small grin on his face.

“Back on the wagon, huh,” Eddie teases and Buck lets out a small laugh, looking up at his boyfriend from long lashes.

“Yep.”

“That might just be the least romantic thing you’ve ever said to me” Eddie says after a few minutes. Buck, looking up at him once more, lets out a small hum before placing the weights back against their spot, sitting up and staring at his boyfriend carefully.

“Technically, I didn’t say it to you, I said it to Chim,” he begins, biting his lower lip before blowing out a small breath and continuing, “And we both know how much of a sap I am every day, so I doubt you’re really complaining about whether or not something was the least romantic thing I had said to you. Though you would tell me if you were, right?” Buck finds himself asking, insecurity coursing through him like it always does when he’s worried he’s messing up or something similar.

“Breath,” Eddie whispers, his body leaning into Buck’s, his hand on Buck’s hip and it takes a few minutes for Buck to do just that, placing his head on Eddie’s shoulder for a few minutes before he smiles and steps away.

“I know. I didn’t mean it as a slight, babe. More of a tease. But I  _ know _ you’re romantic. It’s what I like so much about you.” Eddie whispers and Buck lets out a soft smile, leaning forward to kiss the top of Eddie’s forehead before pulling away once more.

“I need to hit the showers,” Buck mumbles, frowning while he turns away and heads towards his locker, a small grin on his face when Eddie slaps his ass.

“Didn’t we have a rule about behaving while at work?” Buck questions, turning around and walking backwards to look at Eddie, unable to stop the grin on his face from growing.

“Yeah, we did, but I like to remind you who you belong to every now and then,” Eddie teases and Buck’s grin grows once more, a laugh slipping free. Just as he’s about to respond to his boyfriend’s pleasure of reminding him just who he belongs to (not like it’s needed, though) he sees the grin on Eddie’s own face fall off it and finds himself frowning when Eddie’s eyes trail past his body.

“Wha--” he begins, turning around before a small groan of frustration makes its way out of his mouth.

“You have got to be kidding me,” he mutters, stepping forward and quickly ripping all of the valentines cards and decorations that have suddenly been re-taped to his locker quickly and throwing them in the trash.

When he turns towards Eddie, he finds himself stopping at the small smile on his face, arching his eyebrow in confusion.

“What?” He asks, tilting his head like a confused animal.

“You’re cute, you know that?” Eddie asks, leaning forward to kiss Buck, a small smile forming on Buck’s face as he kisses his boyfriend back.

“Yeah, I’m told often. But I do love it when you tell me,” he chuckles, nudging Eddie before opening his locker and grabbing the towel inside, missing the letter that falls to the ground as he makes his way to the showers, hearing Bobby yell for Eddie from upstairs.

“I need to go help out with dishes. See you?” Eddie asks and Buck - Buck only grins, leaning forward to kiss his boyfriend once more before nodding, walking away with an extra swagger in his step that he knows Eddie is grinning wide at.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, _matchmaking_

When Buck is finally finished with his shower, a quick glance at the nearest clock shows that his shift is nearing finished, and the man finds himself relaxing completely and grinning, anticipating the moment he gets to leave and pick up Chris, meeting Eddie at his place. It’s something the two have worked out, something they do at least once a week if it’s possible and it’s usually the highlight of Buck’s week - and Chris’, he knows. 

Which is why, when the alarm goes off, Buck finds himself letting out a growl of frustration before he makes his way to the truck, rolling his eyes to Eddie, who is busy texting Carla. He knows that his disappointment is clear on his face, but he stays quiet, watching the other members of the team carefully, his thoughts running a mile a minute.

“What’s the call, Cap?” Eddie asks, breaking Buck out of his thoughts, as he looks towards Bobby with a small frown, thankful that at least he’s paying attention now, Eddie tapping on his lower back not helping.

“Pileup at a stop light. Congesting traffic, which isn’t new. Multiple victims and injuries,” Bobby shouts from the front of the truck and Buck closes his eyes briefly before nodding, getting himself into the moment, losing himself to everything but the background noise. Before he knows it, they’re at the scene, and everything is pure chaos. It’s an instant moment, where Buck forgets everything he’s thinking about and works on rescuing those who can be rescued, getting the help from Eddie, working with him without a single word being passed between the two of them, both knowing what the other is thinking and what their next step is.

It’s what makes their relationship as a team so flawless, and it’s what makes their relationship out of work even stronger than one would think. They work so seamlessly together that when everything is said and done, and both men are removing their helmets with the rest of the team nearly forty minutes later, they can’t help but grin at one another, nudging their shoulders while laughing, unable to stop themselves from feeling the adrenaline they always feel after such a perfect call. Nothing had gone wrong, everyone had survived and everyone was feeling high off the win the end of the call provided, so much so that Buck didn’t see it coming when Hen had turned towards him with a smirk.

“Buckaroo, was that one man you helped rescue flirting with you?” She asked, her smirk growing when Buck lets out a small groan, rubbing his face with his hands as he tries not to turn red. Yes, there had been a man flirting with him, and it had frustrated him to no end, despite the way Eddie chuckled, not at all feeling worried or jealous while it was happening. Buck hadn’t wanted to be flirted with, had only wanted to work and finish the shift, and pick up his favorite mini Diaz and  _ relax _ and the way the man he had helped constantly got into his space was something that had frustrated him beyond belief.

“Yes, he was flirting. But he also wasn’t getting the point when I kept turning him down,” Buck responds, making an accidental empathetic point when he slams the firetruck door at the end of his sentence, waiting for Bobby to begin the truck. Instead, the whole truck is silent, staring at him with confusion on their faces, except for Eddie, who is trying to hide a smirk -- which annoys Buck even more, because of how attractive Eddie is while trying not to do something.

“Why wouldn’t you accept a date with him, man?” Buck is asked and he turns towards Chim with a groan.

“Because I’m seeing someone already, remember?” He ends up responding, trying not to roll his eyes when Hen and Chim turn to look at one another, something in their eyes that Buck doesn’t trust for one minute.

“Buck, you don’t have to keep lying, you know,” Hen says slowly and Buck finds himself blinking, surprised and confused, not quite understanding why Hen would say something like that unless she thought -- she thought that he was lying about seeing someone?

“I’m not -- I’m not lying, Hen,” Buck says, his voice full of hurt, simply because he never thought that someone would think he was lying about something like that, especially someone he essentially considered family.

“Buck, it’s okay that you’re lying. We know that with Abby having returned a little while back --” Chim begins, only to pause with his mouth open when Buck lets out another groan. 

“I really don’t know how many times I have to tell you that whatever Abby was in my life, it’s long over, long past - I’m not thinking about her or of her, or pining for her. I’m in a happy, committed relationship, and have been for six months,” Buck snaps, remembering how often Abby became a point of contention between himself and Chim after she had come back and left, like the tornado that she always was.

“Buck…” Chim trails off, eyes widening when Buck shakes his head with a small huff, feeling more frustrated than the happy he had been feeling earlier. He can feel Eddie’s leg pressing against his, and he knows, in his own way, that his boyfriend is trying to be there for him, and he has to take a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily before exhaling and opening them.

“Why are you even asking Chim?” 

“Well uh, there’s this friend of mine, and she was looking to get back into the dating --” Hen begins, pausing when she realizes that Buck is glaring at her before he feels the realization go through him.

“And this friend of yours - does she work at the firehouse?” Buck asks, his eyes narrowing when Hen nods. Even more frustrated, Buck lets out another breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tries not to lash out at his friends for not only thinking he was lying about his own relationship status, but for going ahead to try and set him up anyways.

“Right, well. Please tell your friend that while I am sure she is lovely, I’m not interested. Because like I’ve mentioned numerous times already, I’m in a committed relationship with someone, and have been for six months,” Buck states, opening the door, thankful that they have arrived at the firehouse, leaving the truck immediately and making his way to the locker room so he can change and calm the hell down after what he’s currently feeling.

* * *

Unable to stop himself from feeling awkward while in the truck, Eddie cleared his throat while arching his eyebrow towards his teammates. Part of him knew he shouldn’t get involved in this, but since it was his boyfriend, part of him felt like he  _ had _ to, or, at the very least, he had to say something to understand what they were thinking a little better, since he didn’t understand them nearly as well as he understood Buck.

“Why are you guys so set on setting up Buck when he’s in a relationship?” Eddie asks, biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying something more.

“We just want him to be happy,” Chim responds, shrugging his shoulders.

“Who says he  _ isn’t _ happy?”

“Well, we’re only just finding out about the relationship now…” Chim states and Eddie is about to say something when Bobby lets out a snort from up front. Everyone turns towards Bobby, Hen and Chim wearing looks of confusion on their faces while Eddi tries not to smirk outwardly once more.

“Did you guys feel that way when Athena and I weren’t open with our relationship?” Bobby asks, the quietness saying more than any response ever could, despite Hen opening and closing her mouth like she was trying to think of something to say in response to that.

“Is it possible that Buck didn’t tell anyone about being in a relationship because it was new, and exciting, and he wanted something for himself for once?” Bobby adds and Eddie almost nods his head, knowing that those were the exact reasons why they hadn’t told anyone anything about their relationship, though he finds himself squirming a little when he realizes Bobby is looking at him with a small grin, like he  _ knows _ , and Eddie --

Eddie really wants to let out a small groan in response to that but instead, he looks towards the other two and tries to understand what they’re thinking.

“Maybe, you guys should just leave Buck alone, and let him tell you what he wants to tell you, in his own time,” Eddie responds after a few moments, jumping out of the truck with a pointed look before making his way through the station, looking for his boyfriend and ignoring the looks that Hen and Chim had shared with one another. 

He knows that Buck doesn’t like going home feeling gross, and has probably jumped back into the shower for something quick, so he makes his way to the locker room, sending a quick text to Carla when he notices the time before grinning when his guess is confirmed as Buck makes his way out, towel wrapped around his hips. 

Unable to stop himself, Eddie looks Buck up and down with a small smirk, arching one of his eyebrows as he steps close to his boyfriend, hands moving on their violation to Buck’s hips, his index finger and thumb rubbing above the towel slowly. He can’t help but grin when Buck’s eyes flutter close and his head tilts forward to rest on his shoulders.

“Baaaabe,” Buck whines and Eddie can’t stop himself from tugging on Buck’s hips, bringing him in closer and lifting his head up by his chin, leaning forward to kiss him slowly, opening Buck up, feeling his boyfriend getting hard before he pulls away with a smirk.

“Get dressed, Buckley. You gotta go pick up our kid, remember?” Eddie chuckles, smiling when Buck looks at him in confusion.

“Carla?” He asks and Eddie grins.

“Wasn’t needed, since Chris’ school was just let out. Sent her a text a few minutes ago,” Eddie whispers, ignoring the thrill of vibrations that shoot through him when Buck hums against his chest.

“I’ll see you in a bit, then?” Buck asks, moving away from Eddie while Eddie grins, throwing his boyfriend’s clothes at him and nodding.

“In a bit, indeed. Say hi to Chris for me?” Eddie asks, ignoring the way his heart flutters when Buck snorts.

“You’ll see him when you get home, babe. Which won’t be very long.” Buck laughs, while Eddie shrugs. It’s something they do often, something they joke about often, and something they enjoy doing regardless of how silly it seems. 

“Yeah but it’ll seem like an eternity without my two favorite boys,” Eddie whispers and Buck hums, a small grin on his face before he leans forward and kisses Eddie, pulling away before they can get too invested and caught up in one another.

“I know the feeling. I’ll see you later, babe,” Buck whispers, stepping back while Eddie steps back himself and grabs his own bag, making his way out of the locker room area so he can let Buck change in peace, trying not to turn around and gawk at his boyfriend and instead, waving goodbye to the others, even though part of him still feels a little annoyed that Hen and Chim were so willing to ignore what Buck was saying so they could continue with their own plans.

When he finally gets to his truck, Eddie lets out a small breath, closing his eyes briefly before he makes his way to the nearest store without getting caught in traffic, picking up some items for dinner later. 

And of course, if he gets distracted buying the groceries because of how much he misses his boys, well, that’s nobody’s business but his own, really.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, _broentines_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the reviews so far. They mean everything to me. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

“Alright, so we’re set for tomorrow?” Eddie asks, biting his lower lip in thought while Buck hums a few moments later, closing the door to his locker as he thinks about the plans for tomorrow. Chris is staying with Eddie’s Abuela, which means that for Valentines Day  _ and _ night, it’s just the two of them, both having been lucky enough to naturally have the day and night off and not need to worry about being called into work.

“We are indeed. An entire night of the two of us playing games,” Buck responds with a small smirk, crossing his arms in front of his chest and letting his smirk fall into something of a more natural grin when he sees Eddie roll his eyes and huff out a laugh.

“Playing games indeed,” Eddie responds back, arching one of his eyebrows while Buck lets out a laugh. 

“Did I just hear that you two are going to spend tomorrow together playing  _ video games _ ?” Chim asks, interrupting and Buck’s eyes widen a little before he blows out a breath, looking towards Eddie before coming to a quick decision when his boyfriend nods.

“You did,” Eddie responds, nudging Buck carefully, noticing Chim narrow his eyes and fold his arms in front of him while Hen walks up. Things between the three of them have been tense for the past few days - since the end of the shift where they all admitted to trying to set Buck up and he knows it shows almost immediately when his shoulders tense up.

“What about your partner? Why aren’t you spending Valentines with them?” Hen asks, a small frown on her face.

“And what if Eddie has someone better to spend Valentines Day with?” Chim asks and Buck wrinkles his nose, taking a step back immediately as Chim’s words penetrate and he has to blink in surprise. He watches as Chim’s eyes widen and Eddie frowns, while Hen looks at Chim in surprise, before Chim cringes.

“I did not mean for it to come out like that,” Chim says, voice soft and Buck knows it’s his way of trying to apologize but the words still hurt, and his thoughts are swirling in his mind as his heart begins beating fast.

Sucking back a breath, Buck shifts on the spot before closing his eyes and stepping backwards.

“If Eddie had someone better to spend Valentine's Day with, he wouldn’t have agreed to hang out with me. As for  _ my _ boyfriend, well, he’s busy on that day because I told him I wasn’t for sure able to get the day off,” Buck says, knowing it’s a total lie but not knowing what else to say, still annoyed over what Chim had said after, so much so that he doesn’t even realize he told everyone he had a boyfriend and not just a partner.

He can see Chim cringe once more, and nod, before he lets out another breath.

“I’m sorry, Buck. I didn’t mean to --” Chim says while Buck nods, not wanting to focus on it or the insecurities that are rising up, and hopes instead, that his nod allows for Chim to move on from it, grateful when Chim smiles, taking the bait. 

“So you guys are having a broentines instead of a Valentines? That’s cuuute,” Hen responds, ending in a sing-song way while Buck blushes and lets out a small groan, ignoring the way Eddie chuckles and nudges him.

“Completely. A  _ broentines _ . Just us  _ bros _ .” Eddie grins, and Buck knows his boyfriend is smirking but he doesn’t say anything, rolling his eyes instead and looking up at Hen.

“Well, I’ll be doing something with my boyfriend later on in the week, so I figured I should spend it with the third best thing,” Buck teases, arching his eyebrow when Eddie guffaws and Hen chortles.

“Whose second?” Eddie questions and Buck can’t even stop the snort from escaping him at that.

“Definitely Christopher,” he teases back, ignoring the way his heart flutters when Eddie lets out his own laugh.

“Move out team - we have a call coming in,” Bobby says, interrupting the teasing the four were doing right before the alarm goes off and they all begin following the orders of their captain.

* * *

“It’s not true, you know that right?” Eddie says in the middle of the call, the two of them walking carefully down a burning hallway, calling out for anyone who might be still trapped as the building burns around them. Buck finds himself frowning, turning to look at Eddie in confusion before shrugging his shoulders.

“I’m sure you’re right, but what are you talking about?” Buck questions, calling out once more for someone, anyone, to respond if they’re trapped.

“Even if I had a partner that wasn’t you -- I would still want to spend Valentine's Day with  _ you _ . Which, would probably  _ not _ be good for any other relationship I was in but well,” Eddie responds with a shrug while Buck snorts, turning towards his boyfriend and grinning softly before turning back to pay attention to whatever is in front of him, continuing to call out for anyone who might be trapped. 

Eventually, the two of them make their way to the end of the hall, and, confirming that there’s no one in the building, quickly make their way to the exit, meeting up with the rest of the team, though by this point, all Buck can focus on is getting back to the house and showering the filth and grime off him.

The team is silent for a few minutes as they remove some of their outerwear while making their way to the truck and Buck’s lost in his thoughts before he feels a nudge to his ribs and blinks himself back into awareness, a frown forming on his face.

“What?” He asks, looking around as the rest of the team chuckle at him.

“I was wondering what else happens on this broentines thing you’ve got going on with Eddie,” Hen teases, a twinkle in her eye that has Buck letting out a small, frustrated sigh before he shrugs.

“It’s honestly just video games and pizza,” he responds, because while that is what they’re doing  _ tonight _ , it’s definitely not their valentine's day plans and what those are -- well, Buck definitely isn’t telling the team.

“Maybe a little bit of kicking this one’s ass,” Eddie adds with a smirk on his face while Buck chuckles and rolls his eyes, because he knows while Eddie will definitely be near his ass, he won’t be kicking it.

Arching his eyebrow, feeling a little playful, Buck turns back towards the rest of the team and folds his arms in front of his chest before shrugging.

“If I let him kick my ass and win,” he snorts, ignoring the way Eddie nudges him as a form of pushing him, causing everyone to laugh. The team slowly makes their way to the truck, laughing and joking and it’s been -- it’s nice, to the point that Buck is having a good time and for once, not thinking about any of the negatives that have been coursing through his mind the past few days.

When he finally jumps onto the truck, next to Eddie, a small grin forms and he lets himself relax, the ride back to the station exactly what he needed to finish his valentine’s plan for Eddie and get him in the perfect mood for the next few days.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, _Valentine's Day gone Wrong_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments on the last chapter. They meant a lot to me. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter.

Waking up the next morning, Buck let out a soft smile, curling into Eddie’s side, his feet running up Eddie’s legs, wanting to wake his boyfriend up so they could be awake together. It was Valentine’s Day, and while Buck normally didn’t care for the day, especially remembering the last time he went out on the date -- he found that with Eddie, he didn’t care that today was Valentine’s Day, and he found himself  _ excited _ that he was able to plan a date for the two of them, and he was even more excited to see how it turned out.

When he finally feels Eddie stirring in the bed, Buck’s smile turns into a grin before he decides to pepper his boyfriend’s spine with kisses, biting every few moments, feeling himself hardening when Eddie begins to moan and respond fully, turning around to kiss Buck fully, opening his mouth under the ministrations of his boyfriend. Without thought, Buck’s arms wrap around Eddie’s middle, bringing his boyfriend closer to him as their mouths open against one another, their bodies thrusting together as they get lost in the feeling of one another. Slowly, the tension between the two of them climbs, growing minute by minute as their hands roam each other’s bodies, fingers dancing carefully along skin that’s starting to become sweaty from their movements. Eventually, Buck finds Eddie switching things up a bit, hovering over Buck but thrusting into him, a small moan breaking free from both men when they feel one another against each other.

As they continue to moan, Buck slowly pushes Eddie away, kicking the blanket down as he does so with a grin, showing his completely naked body to his boyfriend before grabbing his Eddie and crushing their bodies together, trying not to laugh when Eddie lets out his own small huff before they continue kissing. Buck gets lost in all of it - from Eddie biting his lower lip to just peppering kisses on him, even though he knows he’s grinning like a fool, to the point that when Eddie’s hand wraps around Buck’s cock, the moan that slips from Buck is so lurid that Eddie has to stop kissing him, a small laugh escaping as his hand begins moving slowly up and down his shaft.

“Eddie,” he whines when the other man continues to go slowly, eyes showing his frustration as Buck leans forward on his elbows, ignoring the smugness radiating off his boyfriend as his hips thrust after one particular twist of Eddie’s hand.

“Hmm,” Eddie responds and Buck can’t stop the groan that escapes from him, using all of his body weight to shift their position so that he’s on top, Eddie making a small grunt when he lands on the bed, his hand no longer wrapped around him.

“Last I checked, you’re not normally on top,” Eddie teases, eyes fluttering as Buck peppers kisses down his boyfriend’s body, starting from his lips and going to his neck, and then his heart, before lavishing Eddie’s nipples with his tongue for a little while, grinning when Eddie’s fingers make their way to Buck’s hair and pull lightly, which only causes Buck to move down to Eddie’s stomach, biting at one spot before continuing down his happy trailer and then teasing Eddie by kissing his thighs and blowing light wind onto his cock.

“You’re terrible,” Eddie pants when Buck continues to tease the man for a few minutes, kissing his thighs repeatedly and with a grin towards his boyfriend, Buck takes him into his mouth completely, thankful, as always, that he lacks a certain gag reflex.

* * *

The duo spend most of the day in bed, curled around one another cuddling, having sex, sleeping or watching television when they’re not doing anything else. Sometimes they get out of the bed for food or drink, or to use the washroom but mostly, it’s one of their most relaxing days yet, especially since they’re together and happy.

And the day is perfect when it comes to the time passing - slow enough that by the time they need to get ready for their actual date, they don’t feel like they’ve wasted a moment, or that it’s gone by too fast or slow, something that both men find themselves appreciating, especially as they take a little longer in the shower, having chosen to shower together so they could spare some water -- which, admittedly, probably didn’t happen.

However, they both manage to get cleaned and dressed before quarter after six, which is when they needed to leave in order to make it to their reservation on time. Thankfully the night wasn’t too hot, being the middle of February, as they were walking since the restaurant was close to Eddie’s home, and as both men walked down the park’s path, holding hands, Buck couldn’t help but think about how wonderful the day was so far.

“So, where is it you’re taking me?” Eddie asks after a few minutes of silence, the two enjoying the walk in the dark, the lighting of the streets making the night more beautiful than normal in Buck’s eyes.

“Parkway Grill,” Buck responds after a few moments of staying silent, watching as Eddie’s eyes widen in wonder while he turns towards his boyfriend, his hand squeezing Buck’s gently. Buck knows it’s because Eddie’s always wanted to go to the restaurant but could never afford it, their entrees out of his price range on a normal night. Which is why on tonight of all nights, Buck has no problem with spoiling his boyfriend, if only because he can, and he has the money to.

“Well, color me surprised, excited, and planning on giving you a good night afterwards,” Eddie teases as he steps close to Buck and kisses him, which only causes Buck to smile against Eddie’s lips as happiness courses through him. Eventually though, the two boyfriends pull away from one another so they don’t mess each other’s suits up before they continue their walk to the restaurant at a slow pace, making it there five minutes before the reservation time.

Before entering, Buck can’t help but pull Eddie to him by his hand, arching one of his eyebrows before blowing out a breath. “Please, whatever you do tonight, do not worry about the pricing of things, okay? It’s on me - they already have my card on file, and we both know whatever the bill ends up being, it won’t even put a dent in my savings,” Buck says, voice soft as he remembers all of the times Eddie and he have gotten into small arguments about paying for things. He knows Eddie is a proud man, but he has the money, and he wants to spoil his boyfriend, and if that means doing so by spending it, Buck would. Eddie must see something in Buck’s face though because he nods his head rather quickly, leaning forward to kiss Buck once more before breaking away with a grin.

“Alright, Buck, it’s time to woo your boyfriend. Let’s go,” he laughs, and the two enter the restaurant slowly and carefully, almost like they’re worried about something, though what, Buck has no idea.

“Reservation for Buckley, please,” Buck ends up saying when they get to the maître d'hôtel, smiling at Eddie as they’re taken to a somewhat secluded table, the lighting of the restaurant low enough to enhance the romanticism of the night while still keeping everything visible.

“It’s so damn stunning in here,” Eddie whispers and Buck grins at the sound of awe he hears in his boyfriend’s voice, squeezing his hand while they arrive at their table before pulling out Eddie’s chair, and then his own, the menus placed in front of them with a quick grin towards the waiter that has arrived and poured them a small water.

The time passes by slowly, something Buck doesn’t plan taking for granted, especially after he and Eddie order their food and drinks and Buck is happy to learn that Eddie truly hasn’t let himself worry about money when he orders one of the most expensive dishes on the menu, a grin on Buck’s face when he sees how happy and content Eddie looks.

The couple talk while waiting for their food and drink, until eventually, their dinner arrives, in which case, both are silent as they eat, small moans escaping from both as their mouths water with each process of mastication occurring.

While Buck eats his salmon and Eddie eats his lamb chops, the two grin happily at one another before blinking at the sound of something crashing to the ground to their right. With frowns, both men look up, raising slightly in their seats to look around before Buck lets out a small breath of surprise and frustration when he sees Bobby and Hen in their gear, escorting people outside. 

“Fire in the kitchen, everyone out,” Buck hears and he finds himself looking towards Eddie with a frown, standing up and grabbing Eddie’s hand and squeezing before the duo make their way to their captain and tilt their heads when they’re spotted by Hen, whose mouth opens in surprise before understanding filters through her eyes.

When Buck and Eddie finally arrive in front of Bobby and Hen, a small smile is on her face.

“Why didn’t you just tell us, Buckaroo?” She questions and Buck lets out a small scoff, giving his friend a small look.

“Because I wanted it just to be between Eddie and I. I wanted something for ourselves, without you and Chim teasing me or putting me down, or causing me to feel even more insecure than I already was going into the relationship,” Buck replies hotly and it isn’t until Eddie squeezes his hand and leans into him that he takes a deep breath and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Everything was still so new, Hen. I wanted to have my footing with Eddie first, and I wanted --” Buck stops here, shaking his head when Hen looks at him apologetically.

“So, Eddie, when you were telling us Buck’s possible reasons for not --”

“I knew what they actually were, yeah,” Eddie responds softly, shrugging his shoulders when Hen lets out a small laugh and then nods.

“We need to get outside, though. And you guys need to finish putting out a fire, apparently,” Eddie responds after a few minutes while Buck groans.

“I just wanted the perfect date,” he whispers, shaking his head while looking at his boyfriend with a pout while Eddie laughs and leans over to kiss him briefly.

“And it was an absolutely amazing date, fire notwithstanding, babe,” Eddie says with a grin while Hen hums.

“Well, your date shouldn’t be completely ruined. The fire is in the kitchen and is tiny, so you should be able to get back to eating soon,” Hen responds after a few minutes while Buck and Eddie nod, making their way outside, where Buck is thankful to not spot Chim.

“I’m sorry things didn’t go perfectly,” Buck whispers after a few minutes of being outside and Buck -- Buck isn’t surprised when Eddie turns to look at him and kisses him lightly, comforting Buck the best he can at this moment.

“Things don’t need to go perfect every moment of every day, babe. I love you, and if things go wrong or right, I’m not going to leave you. I’m in it for the long haul when it comes to you, Buck. That doesn’t mean I’m going to walk away when things go wrong, or we fight or, even more importantly, when things completely out of our control don’t go perfectly,” Eddie finishes, teasing Buck while Buck lets out a small laugh, leaning forward himself to kiss Eddie. Before they can get too involved in one another, they hear the other people from the restaurant moving back inside and both men grab one another’s hands before making their own way in and finishing their date and dinner with a well needed glass of whisky and scotch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parkway Grill and the food/drinks Buck and Eddie ordered are real, but I've never been there, so I relied on Google Maps, outside view, lmao. That being said, I don't know if it's _anywhere_ near a park, so I took liberties there. When it comes to ordering - Buck had a Pan Roasted Scottish Salmon with french green beans, bacon, mushroom ragout, red wine reduction that cost $43 and Eddie had a Double Cut Colorado Lamb Chops at $52. They had water with their dinner but their ending drinks, Buck had a Hakushu 12 Year Whisky at $38 and Eddie had a Balvenie "Doublewood" 17 Year Highlands Scotch at $32. Yes, they both pretty much ordered the most expensive of each, lmao. As for the money - Buck growing up rich is one of my headcanons, lmao.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, _blind date_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is super short, and I apologize for that. Also 15 minutes late, because the actual day got away from me, lmao. Hope you guys enjoy.

The day after Valentine’s Day, Buck wakes up to Eddie’s arms around his waist and more surprisingly, small hands shaking him awake. Eyes tired, since he hadn’t gone to bed until extremely late into the night, Buck blinks for a few minutes, trying to wake up completely before he lets out a yawn and spots Christopher in front of him. He’s thankful, at the very least, that Eddie and he had remembered to put on boxer’s in case a moment like exactly this one happened. Letting out a small groan, the man slowly sits up, picking Chris up and placing him next to him on the bed with a smile.

“What’s up buddy?” He asks, yawning once more while Christopher lets out a giggle. “I’m hungry,” Chris responds back with and Buck finds himself looking at the clock across from him, cringing when he realizes it’s nearing lunch. 

“What time did your Abuela drop you off?” Buck questions, slowly moving the two of them before he grabs a pair of his pajama bottoms, pulling them up before watching as Chris makes his way off the bed, poking Eddie quickly, causing the other man to let out a small huff of breath.

Buck lets out his own chuckle before, with a small wink at Chris, rips the comforter off his boyfriend and chuckles when Eddie curls in on himself, shivering. 

“Buuuck,” he hears Eddie whine, and Buck looks towards a giggling Chris, watching as Eddie opens one eye before smiling his own little smile.

“Hey buddy,” Eddie whispers, slowly sitting up and Buck watches as the two Diaz’s talk, Eddie getting out of the bed himself before the three of them walk to the kitchen and quickly plan on grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

By the time the trio are halfway done their lunch, too busy giggling and laughing at the jokes and fun they’re having, a small knock on the door interrupts the two of them and Eddie and Buck find themselves turning towards one another with small frowns on their faces, both knowing that Eddie wasn’t expecting anyone other than Buck to be over this morning.

Shrugging, Eddie makes his way to the front door and Buck, not wanting to appear completely nosey, though he has a right to be, distracts Christopher, not realizing how much time has passed before realizing Eddie is still in front of the door and, more surprisingly, talking to someone while clearly upset.

With his brow furrowed, Buck stands up and quickly tells Chris to stay where he is before he makes his way to Eddie’s side, blinking when he spots Chim at the door, arms moving around wildly while Hen is next to him, shaking her head like she can’t handle the sheer idiocy of whatever he’s saying.

“Chim, what are you --” Buck begins, ignoring the groan coming from Hen as he arches his eyebrow in confusion, wondering what the hell his friend and coworker is thinking about now.

“I came over to try and set Eddie up.  _ You _ might be taken but Eddie isn’t, so I figured the other man would --” Chim pauses here, tilting his head with a frown, “Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” Chim asks and Buck can’t help but snort at the reaction that comes from Hen and Eddie, both facepalming while Chim continues to stare at him, unseeing. 

“Chim, what do you think I’m doing here with my shirt off?” Buck ends up asking, one of his eyebrows arching while the other man continues to look at him with confusion. 

“I have no idea,” he responds after a few minutes and Buck nearly throws his hands up into the air in frustration, wishing desperately that Chim wasn’t so daft right now.

“Chim, c’mon man. I’m here because  _ Eddie _ is who I’m dating,” Buck ends up nearly shouting, looking behind him when he hears Christopher giggling.

“....that’s…” Chim responds, tilting his head once more before his phone goes off and he jumps in surprise, grabbing it from his pocket and answering it. He’s on the phone for a few minutes before the call is ended and he’s cringing, looking between the two men with confusion on his face before he ends up shrugging.

“I need to go - I was called in early for my shift, but I’ll see you guys tomorrow at the beginning of your shift, and we’ll talk about this,” Chim says, pointing one of his fingers before nodding and then making his escape, all while Buck stares at his friend and co-worker with wide eyes and an open mouth while Hen shrugs in response before getting back into the car.

With a small sigh, Buck turns towards Eddie before the two walk back into the house, the door closing, a small huff of breath escaping from Buck when they return to the kitchen and finish eating, then cleaning up.

“Are you alright?” Eddie asks and Buck finds himself smiling at his boyfriend, nodding his head. 

“At least Chim now realizes we’re together,” Buck snorts while Eddie laughs, a small hum escaping from him while he steps closer to Buck, kissing him lightly after making sure Christopher is distracted in front of the television.

“I was getting frustrated, with how he kept asking to set me up with someone on a blind date, even after I told him I was seeing someone myself. So you interrupting? Was definitely welcomed.” Eddie whispers, leaning forward to kiss Buck once more, who can’t stop himself from grinning wildly during the kiss, letting himself get lost in the feeling of happiness Eddie brings him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, _fake dating_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This... loosely fits the prompt, but then again, all the chapters were loose fits, lmao. This is the last chapter and last day, so I hope you guys enjoy it.

Walking into work the next day, Buck lets out a small breath as he shifts his go-bag on his shoulder, looking for Chim so that the two can finally have a talk about everything that’s been happening the past week. When he doesn’t find the other man though, Buck frowns softly before heading to the locker room and changing, placing his stuff in his locker before quickly heading upstairs and looking around for the other man, smiling when he spots him in front of Eddie, though the smile fades when he recognizes the tell-tale sign of aggravation on Eddie’s face.

“What’s going on?” Buck can’t help but question as he sits next to his boyfriend, squeezing the man’s thigh while looking at Chim with an arched eyebrow, waiting for some sort of answer. He can feel his boyfriend practically vibrating with annoyance in the chair next to him and quickly turns towards Eddie, looking at him carefully before turning to look at Chim, not sure what’s going on.

Briefly, Buck realizes that Bobby and Hen are by the counters on the other side of the kitchen, watching the scene play out with weary eyes. He also notices that the rest of the team appear to be scattered around the gym downstairs, like they’re avoiding everything that’s going on up here and Buck isn’t too sure how to feel about that, especially when he turns to look towards his boyfriend once more and spots him biting on his lower lip.

“Seriously, what’s going on?” Buck asks once more, his arms coming up to cross in front of his chest, trying to put out there just how much he needs an answer. When he hears Eddie sigh, he turns to look towards him and waits, knowing not to push the other man when he’s close to talking.

“So, Chim is trying to set me up on a blind date again,” Eddie says after a few minutes and Buck jolts back in surprise, his eyebrows seemingly rising into his hairline as he looks at his friend, confusion coursing through him.

“But why? Chim, we told you yesterday that we’re dating,” Buck asks, his body relaxing so to not start a fight between the three of them, knowing it won’t do the team any good if they’re  _ all _ fighting about this, especially so soon after somewhat clearing the air with Hen.

“Except you’re not. It’s okay, Buck, it’s obvious you and Eddie just planned to fake date one another so you wouldn’t be set up this week,” Chim states and Buck -- Buck finds himself groaning, his head falling to his hands as he rubs it, exhaustion leaking through to his entire body after. He has no idea how he’s supposed to explain to Chim that that’s not the case, and looking at Eddie out of the corner of his eye, he knows his boyfriend feels similarly. Taking a deep breath, Buck looks towards his co-worker, teammate and friend, and then slowly exhales, closing his eyes for a few minutes as he tries to think of the words he could use without getting mad at his friend, because he knows that that’s not going to get them anywhere.

After a few minutes of staying like this, Buck slowly opens his eyes and looks to Chim, arms still crossed in front of his chest as he stretches out his legs and crosses them at the ankles. He can feel the tension in Eddie’s body next to him, and after the past couple of days, Buck wishes that all of his hard work at relaxing his boyfriend hadn’t immediately gone down the drain upon returning to work.

But he knew that that wasn’t the case and with a small sigh in his mind, he looked at Chim and narrowed his eyes.

“Chim, I need you to listen to me okay. And I need you to make sure you understand what I’m saying, got it?” Buck asks, waiting for Chimney to nod before slowly exhaling once more.

“The man I’ve been dating for the past six months, the man I consider my boyfriend, the man I love more than anything? His name is Edmundo Diaz, and he’s sitting right next to me,” Buck says, heart racing as he watches Chim sit back, a small frown on his face before his mouth drops open.

“We weren’t lying.” Buck says, feeling only a little smug when Chim closes his mouth.

“Broentines?” He asks, and Buck ignores the way Eddie snorts, though he can’t help but smirk a little.

“You assumed. When you walked in on me and Eddie talking about our plans, we were talking about Valentine’s Day plans.” Buck responds and he continues to watch as Chim opens and closes his mouth, jumping a little when Hen and Bobby arrive at the table, surprising them.

“Cap and I saw the two of them at Parkway -- the kitchen on fire call,” Hen adds and Chimney looks at them both, humming thoughtfully before cringing. Chimney’s eyes have gone wide and his entire body has slumped forward, and Buck can’t help but be curious as to what’s going through his friend’s mind. He wants to ask, wants to know, but he allows the other man to think in peace, as it is clear that Chimney has many thoughts going through his mind and Buck -- Buck finds himself okay with waiting, for once in his life.

In order to pass the time and not appear so damn antsy, he turns towards his boyfriend and looks at him carefully before squeezing his thigh and then massaging the spot he squeezed, hoping it helps Eddie relax, not stopping until said man  _ does _ relax, a small smile on his face as he tilts his head back in the chair and closes his eyes, humming in content. He loses the effort of tracking time by watching Eddie with a small smile on his own face, forgetting all about Chimney before the other man is clearing his throat, causing both Eddie and him to blink in surprise and look at Chimney patiently.

“I think -- the first thing I want to say is something I  _ need _ to say. And that’s….I’m sorry, Buck. The things I had said to you, first when you admitted to having a boyfriend to earlier today even -- they were completely out of line and shouldn’t have even been thought of, let alone said.” Chimney responds, voice soft and Buck finds himself opening and closing his mouth in surprise, not sure what to say to his friend, but feeling thankful all the same.

“The things I said were rude, Buckaroo, and they were undermining in ways I can’t stand. Thinking back on it now, it makes me feel like I’ve grown into the type of person I never wanted to be and -- that’s not something I’m okay with. So, I’m sorry, for saying all of those things to you, and helping, no doubt, make you feel insecure when you have no reason to be.” Chim finishes and Buck can feel his cheeks turning red as he takes in the words coming from his friend.

He can feel Eddie’s hand slip into his and squeeze and finds himself sucking back a breath, feeling so damn grateful for his boyfriend, smiling at Eddie softly before turning towards Chimney with a small frown.

“Can I ask --  _ why _ ? Why did you say what you said? Were you just teasing or?” Buck asks, pausing to take another breath before he lets himself ask more questions in a continuous loop, not wanting to appear over-excited for some answers, just another way he feels insecure with himself.

“It was mainly just teasing -- teasing that became out of control, and definitely should have been stopped immediately. If I had realized just how my words were being taken, I definitely would have stopped.” Chim states, shrugging his shoulders briefly. Buck can tell his friend feels bad, but he doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know what he even should say.

Buck looks away for a few minutes, biting on his lower lip before looking back at Chim and letting out a small huff of breath, his hand coming up to run through his hair as he frowns.

“I accept your apology Chim. You’re practically my brother man, so while teasing is fine and all, there has to be a limit. I can’t -- after everything I did...everything I’ve been through with you guys, I’m not…” Buck begins and then pauses, biting on his lower lip while trying to find the right words.

“I’m not as confident as I used to be, when it comes to being in the team, man. I’m still a work in progress really, after everything, so sometimes, you guys might be teasing but I’ll feel like you’re being sincere, or that I deserve your words.” Buck says, his voice becoming small while Eddie stands up suddenly, wrapping his arms around Buck’s shoulders and hugging him from behind. Buck feels himself relaxing in the hold, his body slumping while Chimney leans forward and squeezes his arm, eyes wide and clearly apologetic.

“Man, I’m so sorry. And I swear to you, I’ll do better,” Chim whispers and Buck finds himself nodding, not sure there’s anything else he could possibly say in the moment, a small smile on his face instead to show that Buck, at the very least, understands and forgives.

After a few minutes, Chim pulls away and looks towards the two of them with a small grin, “So tell me, how and when did this happen?” Chim asks, causing Buck to let out a laugh before he shrugs.

“It started six months ago, after a night together where it was just us. I had realized I hadn’t wanted to go home because I didn’t consider my apartment  _ home _ , you know? SO after thinking about it for a few hours after leaving Eddie’s place, I returned back and we talked about it and --” Buck stops here, smiling at Eddie, eyes going soft as he remembers the night that had followed, alongside the morning.

“We ended up going out on a few dates before deciding to be boyfriends, and then the months had passed and--” Eddie finishes with a small shrug while Hen aww’s and Chim grins at the two of them.

“What was the exact date you guys started dating?” Hen asks and Buck lets out a small laugh, shaking his head.

“Way before you decided to do the bet.” He responds, everyone dropping their mouths open in surprise, eyes widening while Eddie lets out a snort.

“Yeah, the first date on the sheet with all of the betting information is about, three weeks  _ after _ we got together,” Eddie admits with a small smile on his face while everyone else lets out a groan, including the people down on the lower level of the station. Both Eddie and Buck chuckle at the response throughout the building before they look towards their team and smile at them.

“Sorry guys, but the bet has been lost,” Buck laughs, everyone nodding their heads while both of the men stand up and make their way to the kitchen, the oven timer going off and both men wanting to help out with the food that Bobby had been cooking.

The rest of the shift goes by fast -- call after call helping out with that feeling before eventually, Buck and Eddie are back in the locker room, getting changed in order to go home, thrilled at the prospect of being able to go home after the day they’ve had - because even though it’s been fast, it has also been long.

“Buck,” Eddie whispers after they’ve gotten dressed and Buck turns towards his boyfriend, frowning at the tone in Eddie’s voice.

“Yeah?” 

“Move in with me,” Eddie whispers, taking a step forward, his hands going to Buck’s hips and moving him closer to Eddie’s body while Buck grins, eyes widening in surprise and delight at something he’s been wanting for a while now.

“I know it might seem fast, but we’ve been best friends long enough that I feel like moving in is just an easy next step. And you practically live with me  _ anyways _ , so why bother paying rent for a place you’re barely at? And not only would I love to wake up every morning with you next to me, but I know Christopher would love to wake up every morning with you making breakfast, and --”

“Eddie, babe, breath,” Buck laughs, leaning forward to kiss his boyfriend partially to stop him from talking continuously, but also partially to just kiss him for no damn reason but because he  _ can _ . 

“Sorry,” Eddie chuckles after the two of them break away and Buck lets out a small laugh, moving forward to kiss his boyfriend once more before stepping away, but not far.

“I would love to move in with you, Eds.” He ends up whispering in response, smirking a little when Eddie lets out huff of laughter before he surges forward to kiss Buck once more. The two continue kissing, grins on their faces while they do so, laughter escaping from them every few seconds before they eventually pull away with a small chuckle, resting their foreheads against one another, hands cradling one another’s faces.

“We should go home,” Buck whispers, smiling at the way his sentence sounds while Eddie hums in agreement, content.

“I have absolutely no problems with going home with you,” Eddie responds after a few minutes of the two of them just staring at one another.

“Good. Because you’re going to end up really sick of me eventually,” Buck ends up responding, a laugh escaping before kissing Eddie once more, the two of them getting lost in one another, happiness radiating from them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are 100% appreciated and loved. ♥ Yell at me on my tumblr, @smartbuckleystrand.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and constructive criticism is love. Come yell at me on my [tumblr](https://smartbuckleystrand.tumblr.com).


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